Summertime means a break for children from the weekly schedule of school and assignments. But with that vacation, can come significant learning loss. About 20% of school year gains in reading for elementary students are lost over summer, according to data published by Scholastic. BTPM’s Ryan Zunner reports how one local author and retired educator is trying to lessen the impact of the “summer slide” on children with her new book.
Mary Kerins is the author of the newly released "The Cottage," a children’s book rooted in family, about the valued relationship children can have with their grandparents. The setting is in the title, a rural summer getaway a child has with their grandparents, learning valuable life and spending time in nature. For Kerins, it’s a very personal story with one of her own grandchildren.
“A couple of summers ago, I had the opportunity to take him back to the cottage where I spent all of my summers growing up, where my grandmother came from, in Algonquin, Canada. It's just a little town south of Algonquin Park, and it's called Harcourt," said Kerins. "So he was able to experience the magic that I felt every single summer when I got to go back to the cottage. And I thought, if he could experience that story in a book, and see himself in a book, it would just go along with his love of reading.”
The focus on themes of summer is two-fold for Kerins. With her experience as a retired educator and principal in the Niagara Falls School District, she understands the very real issue of children losing comprehensive reading skills during summer break.
“With the summertime they lose that daily instruction that they get from their teachers, and they're away from that environment that's so enriched with reading materials," she said. "You know, students have the opportunity every day to work with their teachers, but over the summer, it kind of falls off. So if we can provide good books for children they certainly enjoy, that's the main thing. You know, reading should be something that children love. My main goal is to write children's stories that children really want to read and share the joy of reading.”
That’s why in "The Cottage" there are those stories and themes of the summertime. Whether it's fishing, going to the beach or spotting wildlife — putting children, especially ages 2-8 in a world that is active and present can be a driver of maintaining interest and learning in the materials they are reading.
“If you can really build a strong foundation at those grade levels and keep them strong, the chances are they will become a reader of books at grade level by the end of grade three, which is important for them to be successful in their life," said Kerins. "What happens with the summer slide, if you lose a little bit one year, then the next year you you lose a little bit more. It's a continual falling behind, which catches up.”
Kerins said summer reading challenges, like those offered by state, county and local governments can give children an incentive to read. Local libraries with their wealth of programming and activities are another good resource for children and families over the summer.
“Make it a joyful thing you can do," she said, noting patience is key with children and reading. "They say that if they read 20 minutes a night or 15 to 20 minutes a day, that they can keep their skills at grade level. Because many students, they lose that time of reading every day, so their their skills slump. So if you read 20 minutes a day with your child, you know, maybe set a time every day to say, 'okay, this is time to disconnect.' We're just going to have quiet time here with the family so everyone's reading. Maybe have a family night each week where you can come together and read together as a family.”
Kerins will also be part of some community and public events centered around early childhood reading and "The Cottage." She’ll be at Canalside’s Children’s Book Festival on June 29, and the Clarence Barnes and Noble August 23.
